CBSE 2026 Board Exam Final date sheet released: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the final datesheet for the 2026 Class 10 and 12 board exams. The exams will start on February 17, 2026. Class 10 exams will finish on March 10 and Class 12 exams will end on April 9, 2026.

This year, CBSE has released the final datesheet much earlier than usual – almost 110 days in advance. A tentative schedule was shared in September, but the final version has some important changes.

CBSE class 10th datesheet

Subject nameOld date and timeRevised date and timeChanges
Home ScienceThu, 26 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PMWed, 18 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PMMoved 8 days earlier
Multi-MediaWed, 18 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PMFri, 20 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PMMoved 2 days later
Data ScienceWed, 18 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PMFri, 20 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PMMoved 2 days later
URDU Course-A, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Manipuri, Telugu TelanganaTue, 24 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PMMon, 23 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PMMoved 1 day earlier (all grouped)
Elements of BusinessTue, 24 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PMTue, 24 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PMExtended by 30 minutes
URDU Course-BSat, 28 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PMTue, 24 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PMMoved 4 days earlier
Retail, Security, Automotive, Intro to Fin. Markets, Intro to Tourism, Agriculture, Food Production, Front Office Ops, Banking & Insurance, Health Care, Apparel, Electronics & Hardware, Foundation Skill for Sciences, Design Thinking & InnovationWed, 18 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PMThu, 26 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PMMoved 8 days later
ArabicMon, 9 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PMSat, 28 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PMMoved 10 days earlier
Sindhi, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese, Kannada, KokborokFri, 6 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PMThu, 5 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PMMoved 1 day earlier
PaintingThu, 5 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PMFri, 6 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PMMoved 1 day later
FrenchMon, 23 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PMTue, 10 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PMMoved 16 days later

CBSE class 10 exam changes

Some Class 10 subjects have new exam dates compared to the earlier timetable. These include Data Science, French, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Retail, Security and Automotive.

Another big update is that Class 10 students will now have two board exams in one academic year. The first phase will run from February 17 to March 10, and the optional second phase will take place from May 15 to June 1, 2026.

Explaining the reason for this new schedule, CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said that enough gaps have been given between exams to help students manage their time better. The dates also take into account national entrance exams, so students will have time to prepare for both board and entrance tests.

CBSE class 12th datesheet

Subject Name / CodeOld Table DateUpdated Table DateChange
Business Studies / 054Sat, 21 Feb 2026Sat, 28 Mar 2026Moved later by over a month
Business Administration / 833Sat, 21 Feb 2026Sat, 28 Mar 2026Moved later by over a month
Fashion Studies / 837Tue, 24 Feb 2026Sat, 21 Feb 2026Advanced by 3 days
Automotive / 804Wed, 25 Feb 2026Sat, 21 Feb 2026Advanced by 4 days
Psychology / 037Mon, 23 Feb 2026Thu, 5 Mar 2026Shifted later by almost 2 weeks
Mass Media Studies / 835Thu, 5 Mar 2026Mon, 23 Feb 2026Advanced by 10 days
Design Thinking & Innovation / 848Thu, 5 Mar 2026Mon, 23 Feb 2026Advanced by 10 days
Beauty & Wellness / 807Tue, 24 Mar 2026Wed, 25 Feb 2026Advanced by one month
Accountancy / 055Sat, 28 Mar 2026Tue, 24 Feb 2026Advanced by over a month
Retail / 801Wed, 8 Apr 2026Tue, 24 Mar 2026Moved earlier by 2 weeks
Textile Design / 829Wed, 8 Apr 2026Thu, 9 Apr 2026Moved one day later
Sanskrit Core / 322Thu, 9 Apr 2026Wed, 8 Apr 2026Moved one day earlier

CBSE class 12th exam changes

For Class 12, some major subjects – like Business Studies, Business Administration, Psychology and Accountancy – have had their exam dates changed.

The board said the changes were necessary because students take different subject combinations and many also appear for national entrance exams. Bhardwaj explained that the board avoided over 40,000 possible subject clashes while preparing the schedule, ensuring no student has two exams on the same day.

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CBSE also clarified that the exam syllabus and scheme will remain the same for both sessions and will cover the entire year’s curriculum.

To avoid clashes with engineering entrance exams like JEE (Main), CBSE has asked schools to give Class 11 registration numbers to students applying for JEE. This will help the National Testing Agency (NTA) ensure that JEE and CBSE exams don’t fall on the same dates.

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